Lawsuit: Lake County Coroner blacklisted former employee who kept the office cadaver dog

Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek is being sued by a former employee who claims she tried to sabotage his attempts to find a job after a dispute over the office's cadaver dog.

Jason Patt, former chief deputy coroner, alleged in the lawsuit filed Thursday that Banek became furious and tried to thwart Patt's efforts to find employment in local law enforcement after learning Bones, who is trained to find bodies and body parts, would not be returning to the office.

Banek did not return a request for comment Friday afternoon.

Bones also provided grief support for family members and participated in community outreach for the coroner's office.

Patt and Bones began their partnership in 2018 after the office received a $15,000 grant from the D.A.S. Charitable Fund for the Preservation of Feline Animal Life, a trust that, among other things, provides law enforcement agencies with money for the care and training of dogs. Officials said Patt would keep the dog at his home and, as a salaried employee, would not incur overtime when Bones would be needed after hours.

Patt submitted his resignation letter on Dec. 1, 2020, the same day that Banek, a Green Oaks Democrat, was sworn in to her new office after defeating incumbent Dr. Howard Cooper, a Wadsworth Republican, in the November election.

On Nov. 30, 2020, his last day as coroner, Cooper ordered that Bones would retire and continue living with Patt, according to a document submitted with the lawsuit. Cooper had the right to make the order under the state's Police Dog Retirement Act, according to the lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, the dog suffered from separation anxiety and would not likely be able to work with a new handler.

The lawsuit states that on Dec. 11, 2020, Banek demanded Patt return Bones; Patt refused because the dog had been retired.

Patt's lawsuit claims he subsequently had job applications rejected from the Lake County sheriff's office, the City of Waukegan, Amazon, Walmart, United Airlines, Waste Management and other companies, often late in the interview process. The lawsuit says he obtained documents through a Freedom of Information Act request that show Banek gave a false statement about Patt to an investigator employed by the Great Lakes Naval Station, where he eventually was hired.

The documents Patt referenced were not listed among the exhibits attached to the lawsuit.